What do French fries, macaroni and cheese, and creme brulée have in common? They were introduced to America by James Hemings, a Virginia native, who was the first American trained as a French chef.
People can learn more about him in the documentary, “James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen,” which premieres Friday on Amazon Prime. Chef Ashbell McElveen, the creator and executive producer, explores Hemings’ life through interviews with culinary historians Michael Twitty and Therese Nelson, culinary journalist Toni Tipton-Martin, French chef Jacques Pépin and more. The film discusses how Hemings — enslaved by Thomas Jefferson — influenced and transformed American cuisine into fine dining.
James Hemings was born into slavery in 1765 in Charles City County and became the property of Jefferson when Hemings was 8. Eleven years later, Jefferson took Hemings to Paris to learn the art of French cooking. The young man trained under a caterer and a master pastry chef, and at Chateau de Chantilly — where some of the finest French chefs cooked. This helped Hemings secure the head chef position at Hotel de Langeac, Jefferson’s private residence. Back home, Hemings was in charge of Jefferson’s kitchen at Monticello in Charlottesville. He negotiated his freedom by agreeing to train Hemings’ brother, Peter, as his replacement. It took three years but he left a free man.
McElveen is a four-star chef who’s owned restaurants in the United Kingdom and the United States. The culinary TV personality has appeared on shows such as “Weekend Today,” British Broadcasting Corp.’s “Good Food Live” and Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.” He is also the founder of the James Hemings Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to unearthing and illuminating the significant contributions of Hemings.
He wanted to tell this story because his mother died as a working chef.
“She was refused a ride to the hospital by a whites-only ambulance in 1963 in South Carolina,” he said in a phone interview.
Her brother became a dentist and was denied a license to practice in North Carolina. He was hired as a chef at a country club where those same medical board members belonged.
These examples represent to McElveen how details can get twisted. He feels that there’s a lot of misinformation about how Black chefs in America created fine dining. Hemings and Hercules Posey, an enslaved African owned by George Washington, were the first to take plantation cooking to Philadelphia and established fine dining, he explained. Therefore, he believes Hemings’ story belongs to Virginia.
“I’m charging every Virginian who ever put macaroni and cheese, French fries, whipped cream and ice cream into their mouths to take a look at the first documentary introduction.”
Hemings’ story will continue in two additions to the documentary. The second installment is about his life in Paris and the third is about his life after he was freed.
Watch “James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen” Friday on Amazon Prime.
Rekaya Gibson, 757-295-8809, rekaya.gibson@virginiamedia.com; follow on Twitter @gibsonrekaya
